St. Patrick's parade and color run 5K on tap in Anderson

Kim Hudson/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Color Me Lucky color run 5K will be 8:30 a.m. March 16, starting at the Anderson County Courhouse on Main Street.

It's been said for years that it's not easy being green. Well, that doesn't really apply to the budding nonprofit group Pints for the People and their slate of upcoming St. Patrick's Day weekend events coming to downtown Anderson on March 16.

Over the next week or so, various areas of downtown Anderson are going to get a whole lot greener thanks to Pints for the People, First Flight and a slew of local businesses all making a huge effort to keep an Electric City tradition alive while introducing the community to a few fun, new activities for the whole family. But they can't do it alone and they are looking for eager volunteers to help them get everyone in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day.

These businesses and organizations have planned to bring the St. Patrick's Day Parade back to downtown Anderson as well as add in a Color Me Lucky color run 5K and various activities, raffles and games all in the name of the greenest (and most boisterous) holiday of the year.

"When we were looking around at things we wanted to do next, we felt that the St. Patrick's Day Parade would be a fun thing to do," said Mason Carey, president of Pints for the People, and one of the group's founding members. "After talking to the gang at McGee's, we decided it would be something we should all work on together to return to Anderson."

John and Dixie Benca of McGee's Irish Pub started the St. Patrick's Day Parade as another in a long line of events associated with their restaurant's St. Patrick's Day festivities. So, it was a no-brainer, Carey said, that they get their blessing as well as help. In addition, businesses like Uptown Lounge and Restaurant, the Growler Haus, Mellow Mushroom and others joined the fray and have been working for the past several weeks to organize the events. Now, they need more help to ensure that the parade, the Color Run and the rest go off without a hitch.

Color Me Lucky color run 5K

The March 16 events begin at 8:30 a.m. with the first Color Me Lucky color run 5K. The run will start at the Anderson County Courthouse and continue throughout downtown Anderson until it comes to a close right where it started.

But this is no ordinary 5K. This run will involve stops each kilometer where the participants are pelted with soft bags of green-colored powder that explode on contact and cover the runners in a wash of St. Pat's fun. Not only that, but the finish line color crew will be armed with gold-colored powder to complete the effect when runners and walkers come across the finish.

Directly following the run, every participant will have the chance to "get lucky" with a "Pot of Gold" raffle ticket for great prizes from throughout the city and county.

Proceeds from the race will go to scholarship children in the community that desire to play league sports, dance, karate, cheerleading, tennis, etc. or other activities but lack the funding to do so. The event also is set up as a walker-friendly event for all levels of athletes to participate. The course is designed to be a lightning-fast 5K for athletes while providing a safe environment for those walking for fitness and fun. And remember to wear white so that all the color gathered throughout the race will be evident when crossing the finish line.

Registration is available now at www.yourfirst flight.org and packets can be picked up at 3 Cross Tri in downtown Anderson across from City Hall on South Main Street. Cost to participate is $25 per runner and registration will begin at 7 a.m. on March 16 at the Anderson County Courthouse in downtown Anderson.

The run is not, however, affiliated with The Color Run, a trademarked organization that holds runs throughout the country.

For anyone who is not interested in running but would like to support the event, there also is plenty of time to volunteer. First Flight still needs people at every 1K to color the runners as well as water station people, road blockers and finish line attendees. If you are interested, please email Alison at alison@yourfirstflight.org.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

In case you haven't noticed, there are more green things going up every day around Anderson. Shamrocks can be seen outside of downtown businesses like Growler Haus and Uptown Lounge, and Mr. Whitner and other statues around town are getting decked out in all their greenness. It's all in advance of the St. Pat's Parade on March 16 and organizers are still looking for participants to ride, walk and more in the parade itself.

For $20, any business, organization, car collector or random parade lover can jump into the parade as a float or marching unit. As for single folks who want to walk the parade route for whatever reason, it's just a buck to participate. All proceeds from the parade will be given to the Anderson Free Clinic and provide services to those who need it in Anderson County.

"On behalf of the patients we serve and the volunteers who donate their time to care for the patients, I thank the Parade organization for choosing the Anderson Free Clinic as the beneficiary of the events proceeds," said Barb Baptista of the Anderson Free Clinic. "The funds you raise help us pay for existing and necessary operating expenses and I love when a group can find ways to raise fun in a fun way."

The St. Patrick's Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. directly following the Color Me Lucky color run 5K. Starting at Tribble Street, the parade will take the same route down Main Street and end at River Street. Already several organizations have come on board to participate in the parade, including the Hejaz cars, the Anderson County Humane Society, New Covenant Christian School and the Garden House.

Registration is open now to participate and Pints for the People is still looking for people to volunteer for setup, registration and more. Plus, there will be several activities after the event including a drawing for lucky charm bracelets courtesy of Phil's Jewelers. That drawing will be held at McGee's Irish Pub on March 17.

"We've planned a few things to make it more fun," said Carey. "We'll be handing out gold coin cards with discounts from downtown businesses. People who attend the parade can use those cards and turn them in to be entered into a drawing to win one of two charms from Phil Jewelers."